MOBILE ALERTING NETWORK

• US 20090209233A1
• Filed: 01/09/2009
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Traffic Network, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mobile Traffic Network, Inc.
• Inventors: Morrison, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,306,503 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/30 Security of mobile devices; Security of mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A system for providing a mobile application includes a Mobile Subscriber Detection Authorization and Verification System (MSDAVS), to request and receive confidential information from a confidential information owner relating to a user who opted-in to a mobile service application, and to communicate the received confidential information to a mobile application service provider. The MSDAVS can include an opt-in database, to store opt-in or registration data of the opted-in users of the mobile service application and a service policy database. The mobile application service can be a mobile traffic alerting service, the confidential information owner a telephone number database of one of a wireless carrier or a telephone number database operator, and the requested confidential information a list telephone numbers of opted-in users in an alert area, defined by the mobile traffic alerting service.

Claims

1. A system for providing a mobile application, comprising:

a Mobile Subscriber Detection Authorization and Verification System (MSDAVS), configured;

to request and receive confidential information from a confidential information owner relating to a user who opted-in to a mobile service application; and

to communicate the received confidential information to a mobile application service provider (MASP).

2. The system of claim 1, the MSDAVS comprising:

an opt-in database, to store opt-in or registration data of the opted-in users of the mobile service application.

3. The system of claim 1, the MSDAVS comprising:

a service policy database, to store policy data regarding the mobile application service.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the confidential information owner is one of a wireless carrier, a financial record manager, a gaming information manager, and an educational information manager.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile application service provider is one of a mobile traffic alert network, a location based service, a mobile application, a mobile financial application, a mobile educational application and a mobile gaming application.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the mobile application service is a mobile traffic alerting service;

the confidential information owner is a telephone number database of one of a wireless carrier or a telephone number database operator; and

the requested confidential information is a list telephone numbers of opted-in users in an alert area, defined by the mobile traffic alerting service.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the alert area is defined by the mobile service provider by identifying the corresponding alert area cell towers; and

the list of phone numbers is generated by compiling the list of all phone numbers, registered at the alert area cell towers.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the MSDAVS is configured:

to acquire a list of cell towers in the alert area from a cell tower database;

to forward the list of alert area cell towers to a telephone number database; and

to receive a list of telephone numbers registered at the cell towers from the telephone number database.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the MSDAVS is configured:

to communicate the received list of telephone numbers in the alert area to an opt-in database;

to cause the opt-in database to cross reference the list of telephone numbers with a list of opted-in users to create a list of telephone numbers of the opted-in users in the alert area; and

to receive from the opt-in database the list of telephone numbers of the opted-in users in the alert area.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the MSDAVS is configured:

to receive a list of virtual telephone numbers registered at alert area cell towers;

to forward the received list to a telephone number database; and

to receive a list of mobile equipment identifiers and corresponding virtual telephone numbers from the telephone number database, created by the telephone number database based on the list of virtual telephone numbers.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the MSDAVS is further configured:

to communicate the list of mobile equipment identifiers and corresponding virtual telephone numbers to the opt-in database for cross-referencing;

to receive a list of virtual telephone numbers of opted-in users in the alert area, created through cross-referencing by the opt-in database; and

to communicate the list of virtual telephone numbers of opted-in users in the alert area to the provider of the mobile traffic alerting service.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the mobile application service is a sensor array-based mobile broadcast alerting (SAMBA) service;

the confidential information owner is a telephone number database of one of a wireless carrier or a telephone number database operator; and

the requested confidential information is a list telephone numbers of opted-in users in a SAMBA operation area.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the list of phone numbers is generated by compiling the list of phone numbers, sensed by sensors in the SAMBA operation area.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the MSDAVS is configured:

to communicate the received list of telephone numbers to an opt-in database;

to cause the opt-in database to cross reference the list of telephone numbers with a list of opted-in users to create a list of the telephone number of the opted-in users in the SAMBA operation area; and

to receive from the opt-in database the list of the telephone numbers of the opted-in users in the SAMBA operation area.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the MSDAVS is configured:

to receive a list of virtual telephone numbers sensed by SAMBA sensors;

to forward the received list to a telephone number database; and

to receive a list of mobile equipment identifiers and corresponding virtual telephone numbers from the telephone number database, created by the telephone number database based on the list of virtual telephone numbers.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the MSDAVS is further configured:

to communicate the list of mobile equipment identifiers and corresponding virtual telephone numbers to the opt-in database for cross-referencing;

to receive a list of virtual telephone numbers of opted-in users in the SAMA operation area, created through cross-referencing by the opt-in database; and

communicating the list of virtual telephone numbers of opted-in users in the SAMBA operation area to the provider of the SAMBA service.

17. A method of operating a Mobile Subscriber Detection Authorization and Verification System, the method comprising the steps of:

requesting confidential information from a confidential information owner in connection to providing a mobile application service to an opted-in user;

receiving the requested confidential information; and

relaying the confidential information to a provider of the mobile application service.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving an opt-in message from a user to opt-in to the mobile application service; and

storing at least a portion of the opt-in message in an opt-in database.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

requesting service policy information regarding the opted-in mobile application service from a service description database; and

receiving a response regarding service policy in connection to the opted-in mobile application service from the service description database.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

forwarding at least a portion of the opt-in message to a provider of the mobile application service; and

receiving a request from the provider of the mobile application service for the confidential information.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the mobile application service is a mobile traffic alerting service;

the confidential information owner is a telephone number database of one of a wireless carrier or a telephone number database operator; and

the requested confidential information is a list telephone numbers of opted-in users in the alert area, defined by the mobile traffic alerting service.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein:

the alert area is defined by the mobile service provider by identifying the corresponding alert area cell towers; and

the list of phone numbers is generated by producing the list of phone numbers, registered at the alert area cell towers.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising the steps of:

acquiring a list of cell towers in the alert area from a cell tower database;

forwarding the list of alert area cell towers to a telephone number database; and

receiving a list of all telephone numbers registered at the cell towers from the telephone number database.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising the step of:

communicating the received list of telephone numbers in the alert area to an opt-in database;

causing the opt-in database to cross reference the list of phone numbers with a list of opted-in users to create a list of opted-in users in the alert area; and

receiving from the opt-in database the list of telephone numbers of the opted-in users in the alert area.

25. The method of claim 22, comprising:

receiving a list of virtual telephone numbers registered at alert area cell towers;

forwarding the received list to a telephone number database; and

receiving a list of mobile equipment identifiers and corresponding virtual telephone numbers from the telephone number database, created by the telephone number database based on the list of virtual telephone numbers.

26. The method of claim 25, comprising:

communicating the list of mobile equipment identifiers and corresponding virtual telephone numbers to the opt-in database for cross-referencing;

receiving a list of virtual telephone numbers of opted-in users in the alert area, created through cross-referencing by the opt-in database; and

communicating the list of virtual telephone numbers of opted-in users in the alert area to the provider of the mobile traffic alerting service.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the mobile application service is a sensor array-based mobile broadcast alerting (SAMBA) service;

the confidential information owner is a telephone number database of one of a wireless carrier or a telephone number database operator; and

the requested confidential information is a list of telephone numbers of opted-in users in a SAMBA operation area.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein:

the list of phone numbers is generated by compiling the list of phone numbers, sensed by sensors in the SAMBA operation area.

29. The method of claim 27, comprising:

communicating the received list of telephone numbers to an opt-in database;

causing the opt-in database to cross reference the list of phone numbers with a list of opted-in users to create a list of telephone numbers of the opted-in users in the SAMBA operation area; and

receiving from the opt-in database the list of the telephone numbers of the opted-in users in the SAMBA operation area.

30. The method of claim 27, comprising:

receiving a list of virtual telephone numbers sensed by SAMBA sensors;

forwarding the received list to a telephone number database; and

receiving a list of mobile equipment identifiers and corresponding virtual telephone numbers from the telephone number database, created by the telephone number database based on the list of virtual telephone numbers.

31. The method of claim 27, comprising:

communicating the list of mobile equipment identifiers and corresponding virtual telephone numbers to the opt-in database for cross-referencing;

receiving a list of virtual telephone numbers of opted-in users in the SAMBA operation area, created through cross-referencing by the opt-in database; and

communicating the list of virtual telephone numbers of opted-in users in the SAMBA operation area to the provider of the SAMBA service.

32. A system for providing a mobile application, comprising:

a mobile application service provider (MASP), configured;

to request a Mobile Subscriber Detection Authorization and Verification System (MSDAVS) to request and receive confidential information from a confidential information owner in connection to providing the mobile application service to opted-in users; and

to provide the mobile application service to the opted-in users upon the receipt of the confidential information.

33. The system of claim 32, the MSDAVS comprising:

an opt-in database, to store opt-in or registration data of the opted-in users of the mobile application service.

34. The system of claim 32, the MSDAVS comprising:

a service policy database, to store policy data regarding the mobile application service.

35. The system of claim 32, wherein the confidential information owner is one of a wireless carrier, a financial record manager, a gaming information manager, a mobile service information manager, and an educational information manager.

36. The system of claim 32, wherein the mobile application service provider is one of a mobile traffic alert network, a location based service, a mobile information service application, a mobile financial application, a mobile educational application and a mobile gaming application.

37. The system of claim 32, wherein

the mobile application service is a mobile traffic alerting service;

the confidential information owner is a telephone number database of one of a wireless carrier or a telephone number database operator; and

the requested confidential information is a list telephone numbers of opted-in users in an alert area, defined by the mobile traffic alerting service.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein

the alert area is defined by the mobile service provider by identifying the corresponding alert area cell towers;

and

the list of phone numbers is generated by producing the list of phone numbers, registered at the alert area cell towers.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the MASP is configured:

to receive from the MSDAVS the list of telephone numbers of opted-in users in the alert area; and

to provide the mobile traffic alerting service to the opted-in users in the alert area.

40. The system of claim 32, wherein:

the mobile application service is a sensor array-based mobile broadcast alerting (SAMBA) service;

the confidential information owner is a telephone number database of one of a wireless carrier or a telephone number database operator; and

the requested confidential information is a list telephone numbers of opted-in users in a SAMBA operation area.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein:

the list of phone numbers is generated by compiling the list of phone numbers, sensed by sensors in the SAMBA operation area.

42. The system of claim 40, wherein the SAMBA service provider is configured:

to receive the list of opted-in users in the SAMBA operation area from the MSDAVS; and

to provide the SAMBA service to the opted-in users in the SAMBA operation area.

43. A method of providing a mobile application service, the method comprising:

directing a Mobile Subscriber Detection Authorization and Verification System (MSDAVS) to request confidential information from a confidential information owner to assist the providing of the mobile application service to opted-in users;

receiving the confidential information, acquired by the MSDAVS from the confidential information owner; and

providing the mobile application service to the opted-in user.

44. A mobile community notification system, comprising:

a Mobile Subscriber Detection Authorization and Verification System (MSDAVS), configured;

to request and receive confidential information from a confidential information owner related to a notification area; and

to communicate the received confidential information to a mobile community notification service (MCNS) provider.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein:

the confidential information owner is a telephone number database of one of a wireless carrier or a telephone number database operator; and

the requested confidential information is a list telephone numbers of users in the notification area.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein:

the notification area is defined by the mobile community notification service provider by identifying the corresponding notification area cell towers; and

the list of phone numbers is generated by compiling the list of phone numbers, registered at the notification area cell towers.

47. The system of claim 44, wherein the MSDAVS is configured:

to acquire a list of cell towers in the notification area from a cell tower database;

to forward the list of notification area cell towers to a telephone number database; and

to receive a list of telephone numbers registered at the cell towers from the telephone number database.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the MSDAVS is configured:

to receive a list of virtual telephone numbers registered at alert area cell towers;

to forward the received list to a telephone number database; and

to receive a list of mobile equipment identifiers and corresponding virtual telephone numbers from the telephone number database, created by the telephone number database based on the list of virtual telephone numbers.